Something New
by Rissa5
Summary: As Christmas comes upon the Institute, will Kitty finally fall prey to Kurt's charms? *Kurtty*
1. Greetings to Snowflakes

Author's Notes:

My take on Kurtty is that it is one of those pairings which I "tentatively approve of," not because I don't like Kitty (she's "like, totally awesome"), but because I'm an insanely jealous psycho. Kitty is just the only one I've found who Kurt fits with enough to write a romantic story about (my second choice would actually be Toad--does that scare you?).

There is a teensy-weensy spoiler for the book of short stories _Different Seasons_ by Stephen King, just so you're warned... 

You'll see a few episode references here and there. They're pretty subtle, so see if you can spot them.

The little numbers you see throughout the story are tidbits (somewhat behind-the-scenes-ish) that will inform you of this and that about the story. You can ignore them if you'd like, but if not, they are found at the bottom with the corresponding number. They'll start out somewhat numerous and then die down, and hopefully will not annoy anyone.

Lastly, I would like to dedicate this story to Neko-chan, whose own Christmas Kurtty fiction inspired me not only to write this one, but also to sign up with Fanfiction.net and start posting my own stories. Check out her work, it's some of the best I've found.

On with the story!

****

Chapter One

From beneath a heap of thick blankets, Kitty stirred, murmuring softly, and then stretched, two pale hands emerging from her covers. She peeked a marble blue eye out into the darkness of her room and sighed, feeling achingly tired and unwilling to leave her cozy bed. But Nature's call wouldn't let up, and she dragged herself out, stumbling with half-lidded eyes to her bathroom [1]. 

She finished her business without turning a light on, and exiting the bathroom, Kitty found herself drawn to the window, sensing somehow that the world outside was brighter than it should be at 3:26 A.M. She pulled in a quick breath without realizing it, and stole closer to the window, watching the enormous snowflakes as they settled on the ground outside. It was the first snow of the year, and she was the only one awake in the mansion to greet it. 

Kitty smiled, putting a hand to her mouth and feeling unusually sentimental in the late hour. The flakes outside drifted lazily, yet artfully, silent and--Kitty's heart was pounding. Something about this snowfall excited her...as though it signaled the beginning of something new.

A face drifted up at her inside of her head, and she felt a half-smile take to her lips before gently but resolutely pushing the mental picture away. She had made herself a promise, after all, and keeping that promise-at least for a little while longer-was more important than divulging in these persistent fantasies. Still, the power of this nostalgic snow was great-she hadn't had to scold herself for these feelings for almost two months now. 

"Something new, indeed," the young girl whispered. Kitty watched the world outside turn white for a few minutes more, and then returned to bed, falling back into sleep easily. 

Kitty groaned lightly, a sound which was almost inaudible from underneath her mountain of blankets. After yawning mightily, she reached a hand out for the clock, holding it up in the light so as to see it properly. It read 9:27, and prompted a much louder groan from the sleepy girl. Breakfast in the mornings at the Institute was served promptly at ten o'clock [2], and Kitty's growling stomach was ardently reminding her of it. Kitty pulled her comforters off of her, and savoring the morning sunshine on her face, she smiled and felt a rare moment of peace take on to her. 

BAMF! Kitty startled a bit, and frowned at the intrusion. _So much for peace_, she grinned inside of her thoughts, though she still cast a mock scolding scowl towards the visitor, who was now sheepishly shrugging at her.

"Sorry, Kitty," Kurt began, and as always, his German accent [3] turned her name into something more like "Keety," "But it's snowing!" He frolicked (she always thought of his four-legged movement as "frolicking" somehow) towards her window, straightening up and placing his three-fingered hands upon it, looking every inch like an excited four-year old.

Kitty opened her mouth to tell him (for the umpteenth time) that he shouldn't 'port into her room without warning (What if I were to be dressing? She often inquired, although he seemed to have impeccable timing in that area. She supposed she should consider herself extremely lucky), and found that a soft, "I know" came out instead. Kurt turned towards her, sharp canines still showing within his grin. Kitty returned it with an easy look of endearment. "I woke up last night, sometime after it first started. It was beautiful." She joined him at her window, also placing her hands upon the pane. The glass was cold; the excitement-the anticipation, perhaps-which she had felt last night returned, and she stole a glance towards her companion, who had turned back to the still-falling snow.

The two stood for some time, hands upon the window's frosty glass, feeling their childhood reclaim itself, if only for a few moments. Kurt was unusually quiet, though he didn't return her now-and-again gazes. He just watched the world go into hiding as she had alone last night. Finally, he pulled back, casting a shy glance her way. "I am sorry again, Kitty. I will leave now." And before a word could escape Kitty's lips, he had BAMFed away, leaving her alone with her ache.

[1]My take on the housing arrangement. Though Kitty is sharing a room with Rogue in this story, I gave them their own bathroom, something I've noticed they don't have on the show. It would drive me nuts to share a bathroom with so many people (one reason I despise living in the dorms at college), so I've indulged these two. Just assume most of the bedrooms have their own adjoining bathroom. Also, I hadn't realized Rogue would actually be Kitty's roommate at this point, so she seems a bit absent. Just pretend she's sleeping in her own bed and nothing Kitty's doing is disturbing her. In the next scene, I guess Rogue's just already awake and gone.

[2]Just a time I grabbed out of nowhere. With so many people, it would make sense to serve breakfast at a designated time.

[3]Ah, the accents. For the most part, you will see very little of Kurt's. I don't like to overdo it, and I know some have said he barely does the "w" to "v" thing, anyway. It happens, though, and I tried to reflect that here, as well as his "zhe" for "the" every once in a while. As for Rogue, I just followed other's examples and put an "ah" where any hard "i" sound is, because she really seems to speak like that and I usually enjoy "reading" her accent, as it gives me a better sense of her voice.


	2. Decoration and Invitation

Author's Notes

My take on Kurtty is that it is one of those pairings which I "tentatively accept," not because I don't like Kitty (she's "like, totally awesome"), but because I'm an insanely jealous psycho. Kitty is just the only one I've found who he fits with enough to write a romantic story about (my second choice would actually be Toad--does that scare you?).

There is a teensy-weensy spoiler for the book of short stories _Different Seasons_ by Stephen King, just so you're warned... 

You'll see a few episode references here and there. They're pretty subtle, so see if you can spot them.

The little numbers you see throughout the story are tidbits (somewhat behind-the-scenes-ish) that will inform you of this and that about the story. You can ignore them if you'd like, but if not, they are found at the bottom with the corresponding number. They'll start out somewhat numerous and then die down, and hopefully will not annoy anyone.

On with the story!

**Chapter Two**

"Have a holly, jolly Christmas, it's the best time of the year... Come, on, Kitty! Sing with me! You have an awesome voice!" Two weeks past the first snow and finally into Winter Break, Kitty had but entered the recreation room of the mansion when she was swept into an impromptu dance to the famous Christmas song [4], and couldn't help but laugh even as she shoved Kurt away, a devilish grin marking his blue features. 

"Like, no way!" Kitty giggled a bit more and reached out to give a gentle yank on her friend's wildly whipping blue tail. Around her, their housemates lounged about, waiting for someone to start the movie. Tonight's feature was _Stand By Me_, Storm's choice. It was one of Kitty's favorites, but she knew Kurt wasn't wild about it, and that meant he was likely to act up out of boredom.

"Hey, are you two gonna sit down, or what?" Scott motioned towards the far end of the couch, where he sat next to Jean, arm nearly draped over her, but not quite. 

"Yeah, like you left us any room," Kitty teased, winking and pointing to the tiny amount of couch space left. She watched Scott turn bright red as Jean scooted nearly into his lap, and chuckling to herself, Kitty took a seat in the still-small amount of space beside Jean left for her and Kurt. Said elf BAMFed to his spot on the other side of her. 

"Hey, fuzzball, you're totally squishing me!" Kitty couldn't keep the smile out of her voice, and was surprised when Kurt put a hand behind his head in a sheepish gesture. 

"Ach, sorry Kitty," his eyes glimmered, "but you just take up too much space!"

"Oh, you elf!" Kitty couldn't help herself-she laughed loudly, and then did what any self-respecting slim girl would have done. She whacked him a good one. 

"Ow, Kitty!" Kurt showed his canines and whapped his tail around like a wounded animal, then laughed with her.

Meanwhile, this interaction was being ignored by the rest of the group as they chatted aimlessly. Evan was sprawled out on a bean-bag, rolling his skateboard back and forth with his foot. Ororo was in one easy chair, and Logan in another, looking ticked off and probably at least half so. Rogue lay by herself on the loveseat, staring at the ceiling, and apparently deep in thought. 

"Hey, Red-get the tape started for us?" Logan grunted and leaned back in his chair. He threw a distasteful glance at the stereo, which was spewing out a cheery rendition of "Deck the Halls." He grunted again, "And kill the music."

Jean smiled briefly and placed a light finger to her temple-much more out of habit than need. The stereo dial turned and emitted a soft click, and the music stopped mid-"fa la." The tape poking out of the VCR was gobbled up and settled into place noisily.

"You may need to rewind it," Storm prompted. Jean squinted a bit, and a faint whirring sound ensued.

"If I'm too big to sit next to, you could always share a seat with Rogue," Kitty taunted while shifting--jostling Kurt some-and they both glanced over to Rogue, who upon hearing her name sent uninviting glare as well as a cocky smirk their way.

"Ahhh…I think I'll stay right here," Kurt cuddled closer to Kitty's side, blinking owlishly, "You can protect me from Rogue."

Kitty smirked and pinched him, ignoring her racing heart. She found it bitterly amusing that even after nearly a year, she still had to watch herself, lest she begin to stutter or blush or some such give-away as that. In return for the pinch, Kurt slapped her gently with his tail and they both laughed again. It was a common exchange, and none of the others thought twice-or even once-about it. Kurt flirted with Kitty because he was a goof, and because from her, he could elicit the most amusing responses. Kitty flirted back because it was easy to do, and she almost enjoyed the attention. And maybe it was because… Kitty bit her lip, a frown replacing her jubilant smile.

"Lights?" Scott arched an eyebrow at Jean, who raised her own in return, and the room went dark.

Jean sighed with good nature, "I have to do all the work around here." The room laughed, Kitty included, as she temporarily set aside-as she had been doing for too long now-her heart.

Kurt studied the ornament in his hand intently, shifting it around to catch the light on each section. It was heart-shaped-but a deep green instead of red-and covered with many-pointed stars made from a cheap glass. It reflected tiny rainbow spots onto his face as he held it up over his head. For some reason, this ornament--and the pieces of rainbow it had scattered all over him-caused his thoughts to turn to Kitty.

Kurt wasn't sure he was lock-stock-and-barrel in love with the young phaser, but even at seventeen, he knew he cared for her beyond the boundaries of friendship. It was something he had carried for some time now. After testing the waters those first few weeks and finding them teeming with piranha, Kurt had stopped taking his flirting seriously-as Kitty had-and had fallen into habit.

He supposed that if forced to ponder on it for awhile, he would realize that his feelings ran quite deep, but since he had already come to the conclusion that Kitty did not feel the same, he preferred not to meditate on it. He had expected that after a while, his attraction to her would fade. But it hadn't, and every now and then, he'd catch a look in her eyes or see something in the shape of her smile that kept him wondering.

Most of the time, Kurt was content to enjoy her company. But Christmas time had always been a somewhat sentimental time for him, and he had to admit that this one-the first since her introduction into his life-was affecting him quite deeply. Something in the way the lights reflected off her hair? Something about the heartening effect Christmas music seemed to have upon her voice? Something new?

Kurt wasn't sure, but his affections had more than once needed to be checked. Kitty hadn't seemed bothered, however, and that particular quality he had recognized within her had been often present as well. Perhaps…maybe-

He was startled when a hand brushed his shoulder, and he turned to see the very object of his thoughts by his side, looking from him to his ornament with clear eyes. "That's a pretty one." Kitty ran a finger over the mock diamonds.

"Ja," was his soft reply.

"What's this?" She pointed to a tiny golden hinge on the left side of the ornament, and when Kurt turned it further, they spotted a clasp on the opposite side. Kitty took it from him.

"It's like a locket," she murmured, and opened it up. Inside, it was a scarlet red. One on half--the left-a small picture of mistletoe was engraved. On the other side, in shimmery gold cursive, "Friends make Christmas magic," was inscribed [5].

"Hmmm," Kurt mused, "I thought that mistletoe would be symbolic of lovers, not friends."

"Well, some people are friends before they get together, you know? Maybe that's what it means." Kitty closed the locket with a tight snap. "It's still a pretty ornament. Where are you going to hang it?" She placed it back into his hands, lingering for a few seconds as skin touched fur. Kurt thought that odd, but…

"Right here, I guess," he hung the locket-ornament on a nearby bare branch by the loop attached to the top, and admired it with a small smile. Kitty, still by him, was sporting much the same expression.

Around them, the other students milled about, decorating the mansion's Christmas tree with their own flair. The group had gone down to the tree lot that morning and chose the largest tree available. It now stood in the front room, and could be easily seen from the outside, even as far as the front gate. It was tall enough to just scrape the ceiling, and Jean had been hitting most of the higher branches so no one would have an accident involving a ladder. Storm was assisting.

Each of the students (sans Evan, who had returned home two days ago) [6] had rummaged through the Institute's attic, and each had pulled aside several boxes of ornaments to hang, most of which were now scattered throughout the tree's branches. It had been within one of Kurt's odd mix-and-match ornament boxes that he had found the strange decoration. Along with the boxes came garland, tinsel, lights, and a star for the tree. The simple, shimmery sliver-white star was the last item to grace the tree-courtesy of Jean-and the group began to naturally step back as one. Scott flipped the mansion's overhead lights off, and from the darkness called, "Everyone ready?"

"Yeah." 

"Yep." 

"Ready."

"As Ah'll ever be." 

"Ja." 

"For something new?" Kitty's voice was hardly a whisper, and unheard over the chorus of affirmatives her housemates expressed. She threw a glance to her left with no thought at all, and when the lights of the tree set the room ablaze, it was Kurt's face, dark and multi-colored, which she took in, and admired. His pale eyes were alight with their own awe, and before her personal voice of reason (which sometimes could sound strikingly like Jean) could protest, she had taken his hand and wrapped it up in hers.

Kurt turned to her in surprise, and the moment their eyes locked, they both experienced a pang of longing, combined with the sensation of being suspended…floating just above the place they wanted to be. Kurt himself half-smiled, suddenly realizing that this moment would be ideal for what he had been trying to talk himself into doing all week. It took a few more seconds of courage gathering, but then he took a deep breath and spoke.

"Kitty," he began, and she became aware then just how much she loved hearing her name in its Kurt-ized form-"Keety"-coming from his lips. "Would you go to the Christmas Ball with me tomorrow?" He applied soft, warm pressure to her hand, swallowing hard.

The Christmas Ball-really just an informal get-together in the rec room scheduled for the following night-had been thought up by the professor as something of a Christmas treat for the kids. Each of the five students (as well as Ororo, Logan, or the professor themselves) were welcome to invite several friends from outside of the Institute. As a result, many of the party-goes would be Bayville High's regulars.

Kurt shifted a bit nervously. He knew Kitty wasn't going with someone else-she had told him that herself-but that didn't mean she would accept his invitation. She pulled her hand away, a distant, wistful look in her eyes. She had been half-hoping for this very moment for most of the week, and now that it was a reality, she found herself uncertain. She had kept herself in line-kept herself from making rash decisions-for...how long had it been?

She glanced out the window, where semi-deep drifts of snow had piled up. The way the winter sun glinted off of the sharp crests…it dawned on Kitty that the familiar window scene subtly but undeniably gave her her answer. Almost a year had passed her by since she had entered the Institute, unsure of her abilities, her surroundings, and herself. Kurt would probably never know it, but after her initial shock, she had grown quite fond of him, and as his quirky charm continued to sweep her off her feet, Kitty struggled to adapt to the life she had found herself flung into. So she had wisely decided to put her foot down on any kind of romantic involvement with anyone, let alone a furry blue teleporter. Kitty had assumed that by doing this, her relationship with Kurt would dissipate, but Kurt was a persistent elf-boy, and the two had continued on with their odd friendship.

Kitty turned her eyes back to Kurt, who was half-smiling at her, his hands behind his back, looking every inch boy-asking-girl-out. The shy, hopeful expression on his face melted her heart, and it was a moment in which she desperately wrestled with herself, wanting to go on being resistant. She tried to make her tongue spit out a derisive joke or at least a haughty giggle, but it refused, probably because it would have seemed both strange-and rude-after she had taken his hand. She found she could not utter one word.

Kurt watched Kitty's facial expression (which had hardly changed) and her eyes (which were cycling through emotions he could hardly begin to guess at), and at the same time that he was thinking she had never looked so beautiful, he also thought that his care for her should extend far enough to give her an out. "No worries, Kitty. We can go as friends." He sent a smiled tinged with sadness down at her, and Kitty knew that he had given something up for her. She found herself caught between relief and disappointment, and still had room to feel quite touched at his thoughtfulness.

"Yeah, all right. Why don't you stop by my room a few minutes before seven? We'll walk down together." Kitty patted his upper arm in a friendly fashion, and Kurt caught that look in her eyes-a certain disguised wanting that could have been nothing more than his imagination. He nodded, bowing his head.

Kitty put on a carefree grin, and tugged on his elbow, pointing, "Doesn't the tree look great?" It was actually her first glimpse of it, and it was gorgeous-everything Christmas was meant to be wrapped around and within the tall evergreen before them. Kurt tilted his head, giving a familiar, faint answer, "Ja, it does."

[4]This may be an odd place to address it, but I have to put out that I know that Kitty is Jewish, and I'm choosing to overlook it for the story. It's just safe to say that here she enjoys Christmas and celebrating it just as much as a Christian would, I guess. I need her to be one with the Christmas spirit here.

[5]I actually have a tiny pillow with those words sewn into it. Like you care.

[6]It may not make sense, but my mansion only has the original six students, and this is their first Christmas in the mansion, so the ages and such may seem a bit off. Also, I know more of them should be gone, I just needed them too enhance the plot, so you'll have to make up your own excuses as to why they stayed (especially Storm, who did not go with Evan for whatever reason...what was I on when I wrote this?).


	3. Awareness

Author's Notes:

My take on Kurtty is that it is one of those pairings which I "tentatively accept," not because I don't like Kitty (she's "like, totally awesome"), but because I'm an insanely jealous psycho. Kitty is just the only one I've found who he fits with enough to write a romantic story about (my second choice would actually be Toad--does that scare you?).

There is a teensy-weensy spoiler for the book of short stories _Different Seasons_ by Stephen King, just so you're warned... 

You'll see a few episode references here and there. They're pretty subtle, so see if you can spot them.

The little numbers you see throughout the story are tidbits (somewhat behind-the-scenes-ish) that will inform you of this and that about the story. You can ignore them if you'd like, but if not, they are found at the bottom with the corresponding number. They'll start out somewhat numerous and then die down, and hopefully will not annoy anyone.

On with the story!

****

Chapter Three

Kitty twirled around lightly in front of her in-room mirror, trying to focus on whether the dress was hanging right or if her earrings really matched it or anything that kept her mind off of the crestfallen look Kurt had tried to hide from her the evening before. Her reflection seemed to be scrutinizing her in a very disapproving way. She was putting Kurt through quite an ordeal…and for what? Kitty thought she knew, but after all this time-

Knock knock knock. Kitty gasped softly and whirled to face her door. It was ten until seven…was he early? Her heart hammered, and she smoothed down her dress and hair once more before putting on a friendly-emphasis on the "friend"-smile. She opened the door…and Rogue's pale face was there to greet her. Kitty's smile fell, and she replaced it with a half-smirk.

"Oh. It's just you," Kitty sighed loudly and went back to her examining her appearance. Rogue lifted an eyebrow at her roommate and approached her own dresser.

"Ah love you too. Yer going to the dance, then?" Rogue brushed out her short, skunk-like hair with just a faint undertone of regret.

"Yeah, of course! Aren't you?" Kitty was surprised. She had thought Rogue had outgrown her anti-social tendencies-in the mansion, at least.

"Ah don't think so. You know what a lousy dancer Ah am." 

"Rogue, no way! That lame excuse won't fly with me. I know why you're not going."

Rogue twisted around, an angry glare waiting to appear on her face. "What are you talking about? Ah just won't have a good tahme, that's all." 

"Whatever. You need to lighten up already. I'm sure you could snag at least one dance with Scott."

Rogue's face flushed deeply, "Ah don't want to dance with Scott! What gave you that ahdea?"

"Rogue, please...," Kitty trailed off, and Rogue sighed.

"If Ah go, will you leave me alone about it?"

"Yeah, sure. I just don't like to think about you being up here all alone while everyone else is downstairs partying." Kitty put a hand on Rogue's shoulder, and Rogue sent her a lidded smile.

"What will Ah wear?"

Kitty squealed, "I have just the thing! It's-"

She was cut off by another, quieter knock on the door. In all her fuss over Rogue, she had nearly forgotten Kurt was coming. She threw Rogue a panicked look, and Rogue chuckled. "Ah'll git the door, you git the dress."

Kitty all but dove into her closet, [7] quickly rummaging around for her pale green dress. It came with elbow-high gloves to match, and she knew Rogue would look fantastic in it. However, at that moment, her mind wasn't much on Rogue.

Rogue poked her head around the closet door. "It's Kurt. Ah told him to wait outsahde. Did you fahnd it?"

Kitty shoved the dress into Rogue's hands and began to-once again-smooth down her hair. Rogue gave her a once over. "Ya look nahce, Cat.[8]" Kitty turned to Rogue in surprise, an anxious look pasted on her face. Rogue smirked again, "So does he."

Kitty swallowed heavily and made her way to the door. "Come down as soon as you're ready. I'll be looking for you."

"Ah'll be there. And thanks fer the dress."

Kitty nodded, and opened her door. 

Kurt had his back to her, and seemed to be staring down the hallway, though there was nothing there. At the sound of the door, he spun around, and the look on his face amplified Kitty's unease-she didn't have to ask him how she looked.

He indulged her anyway, "Kitty...you look..." He trailed off, his eyes lost in hers, a regretful look upon his face, "I cannot even find a word to describe it."

Kitty put a coy hand to her mouth, and ducked her head. She did indeed look divine; her dress was a deep scarlet-the same color, in fact, that the inside of the ornament had been-with short, slightly puffed sleeves. The color shimmered somewhat when she moved about, giving her a glowing appearance. She had French-braided her hair, leaving her trademark two strands out for bangs. Kitty's stark blue eyes glittered with emotion as she in turn looked Kurt up and down-and he knew it, too. He put his hands behind his back, and for a moment looked exactly as he had last night in waiting for her response to his invitation.

Except that tonight, he looked like a prince to her. His hologram was on, of course, seeing as non-mutants would be attending this dance. Kurt was wearing pressed khakis and a white shirt which she could not see much of as it was covered by his black suit-like jacket. His hair was brushed neatly, but down, which Kitty preferred. She noticed suddenly that around his neck was a dainty black bowtie, and she giggled in delight. Kurt looked at her in surprise, but she just leaned forward and ran a finger over it, admiring the way it framed his face.

"Ah, you like the bowtie, ja? Storm put it on for me."

Kitty put a hand on his upper arm and smiled up at him, "It's cute. You look great." She was pleased with how well she was handling this. Miss Nonchalant, that's me, she thought to herself ruefully. She was, however, blown away by his appearance that night, and had to let herself get away with one thing.

"Kurt, may I ask you a favor?"

"Of course, liebling, vhat is it?" He ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"I want to do this," she reached out and pressed a button on his holowatch. His furry, blue self appeared-dressed strikingly, no less. "To see the real you. Just for a moment."

Kurt smiled, and put his head down, not sure what to make of Kitty's actions. He had always assumed she preferred his holographic self. He fidgeted in the hallway, somewhat nervous of an early guest wandering around looking for the bathroom.

"Hey, come on now," Kitty snaked a hand out to cup his chin, and gently raised his head to meet her eyes. "You look totally awesome, Kurt. Trust me. You can turn the watch back on, if you want."

He started to reach for the button, than dropped his hands to his sides, "You like zhe way I look?" Kurt couldn't keep the pathetic hopefulness out of his voice, anymore than the German-sounding 'the.' 

Kitty blinked, her expression serious, and didn't answer for a minute; she just studied him, and ended up gazing into each his eyes for what may or may not have been several hours. Her stomach suddenly took on a netfull of butterflies, and without waiting for some reasonably sane part of her to speak up, she pushed forward into Kurt's arms.

Kurt took her in, not entirely surprised-he had seen the emotion in her eyes--but entirely pleased. The top of her forehead came up to his lips, and if he had had the nerve, he could have kissed her temple. As it was, he just held her close, sensing that she was fighting an inner battle he didn't completely understand. He heard a muffled, "Of course I do, Elf. You look very handsome."

She pulled back suddenly, her eyes alight with bickering frustration and tears, and he took the opportunity to turn his hologram back on. Behind Kitty, the door opened, and a very ravishing Rogue stepped out into the hall. She took in the scene in front of her and commented, "Gosh, yer slow. Shouldn't you two be dancing bah now?"

Kitty giggled a bit, and inside of the laughter, Kurt could hear her anguish. Rogue apparently did as well, for she stepped forward and took Kitty's elbow, sending them both an uncharacteristically bright smile. "What're we waitin' fer? Let's git to the dance." Kurt moved up and linked his arm with Kitty's other, and the three headed for the stairs. 

"Wow, it's so beautiful in here," Kitty's mouth hung open as she surveyed the newly decorated recreation room. The furniture had all been pushed back or removed, and lights were strung up just about everywhere. There was even a disco ball hanging from the ceiling-except that with all of the Christmas lights about, the room was spotted in multi-colored bursts. Several small lamps lent the rest of the light, and the stereo (manned by Storm) was bopping out "Jingle Bell Rock." There were roughly twenty students at various stages of partying-most of them friends of either Jean or Scott. Rogue had immediately excused herself from Kurt and Kitty to fade into the wallpaper until she found that guts to ask Scott for the dance she wanted. 

Kitty took one last, long look around the room-almost as though taking a mental snapshot-and then addressed Kurt, "So? You wanna dance or eat?"

Kurt's face lit up, "Let's eat!"

Kitty shook her head, "Figures. I, like, totally can't take you anywhere."

Kurt shrugged at her, and took off towards the food table, which held many a goodie. He loaded up with some of everything while Kitty snagged them a spot at one of the fold-out tables. Kurt managed to juggle the plate and two cups of punch at once, and took a seat by his friend. Kitty spent the next half-hour watching Kurt devour everything he could get his hands on, and by the time he was finished, she was starting to wonder why she'd bothered to come.

The truth was, Kurt was asking himself the same question. He knew his compulsive eating was more out of nervousness and-let's face it-cowardice than hunger. He looked at Kitty's bored, hopeful face, and knew he'd better get his act together.

"Kitty, will you excuse me for one moment?"

Kitty looked down at her folded hands, "Sure."

"I will be right back." He scurried off, taking refuge in the downstairs bathroom. The reflection in the mirror threw a dark glance at him as he stepped up to the sink to wash his hands and face and fiddle with his hair. For good measure, he chewed a stick of gum, too, still watching himself intently. "This is no big deal," he told the boy in the mirror, "We came as friends and we can dance as friends, too. No big deal at all." 

He swallowed heavily and took leave of the bathroom, hoping Kitty hadn't given up on him. But there she was, no longer bored, but fraying her napkin and looking almost as though she was fighting tears-a desolate girl with lights dancing off her face as the mirthful "Winter Wonderland" played in her background. He approached and placed a light hand on her shoulder, and when she turned her head, her eyes were too bright and overly shiny. 

Kurt's face slid into a concerned expression, and Kitty put on a smile for him. Kurt studied her for a moment, and finally, scuffing at the floor with his shoe, "Kitty?" It was so very German sounding, it elicited an inner smile from Kitty. Behind them, the song changed to the slower-paced "Christmas Time," which Kitty recognized as Hanson [9] and Kurt recognized as a shove in the right direction. It was time. "Will you dance with me?"

He was a bit thrown off by Kitty's beam in response, and even more so by her prompt, "Of course, Kurt!" She took his arm and lead him into the crowd, until the two were very nearly right under the disco ball, and this time, as it spun, rainbows danced upon both their faces.

"Ach," Kurt moaned, finally making out the tune, "Are we dancing to _Hanson_?" She giggled and draped her arms around his neck, while he hesitantly wrapped his around her back. They were very close, and he observed that she did not seem to mind it. She was, however, harried by that look again, and this time, he couldn't find it in himself to let it go.

"Kitty, are you all right?"

She cocked her head a bit in a casual gesture, but her eyes betrayed her. They shimmered with tears, though none had slipped yet. "I don't know, Kurt..." The words teetered on the edge of her tongue, but how could she tell him? "I'm trying to make the right decision, I guess."

"About vhat?"

She wrinkled her nose, "You snoop. Who says it's any of your business?" Except that it was, and the expression on his face told her he wasn't thrown off by her semi-harsh words.

"I'm your friend. I would like to help you."

Kitty sighed, "You can help me by just...just dancing with me," and pulled closer to him, unable to help herself. He was warm and he smelled good-how could she resist? Kurt drew in a breath and tightened his arms around her. 

Kitty, awash in a feeling of deep-rooted comfort as the two lazily drifted in a small circle on the dance floor, was also experiencing a strange, slow flipping sensation all through her. The arms that held her now...so much time that had passed...shouldn't she be free to choose this for her own now? It seemed difficult now to remember exactly why she was still reining herself in. Though...her own fluttering pulse told her that. She was afraid, oh, frightened in some uneasy, prickling way that she knew meant she was very much in love with Kurt Wagner. It made her want to drop the entire ordeal, to keep running away as she had been, because that was so, so much easier. But Christmas had spent its magic upon her, and she found herself admitting that it might just be worth it to let herself have what she had wanted all along, and complete her life in some way.

"Kitty?" The song was coming to an end.

"Mmmhmm?" She didn't want to pull away.

"What are you thinking about?"

Kitty chuckled a little, and finally left his arms as the song died away and was replaced by "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." "I'm thinking that all that eating you did made me hungry. You up for some more food?"

Kurt placed his hand behind his head in his famous sheepish gesture, "Do you even have to ask?" They laughed in harmony, linked hands, and headed for the food table together, chatting easily about the decorations on the way.

[7]Uh...for some reason I gave them a walk-in closet...

[8]I don't know why, but it seems very right to have Rogue call Kitty "Cat," so I stuck it in there. For all I know, Kitty may hate being called that.

[9]I am a psycho Hanson fan, so I couldn't help but have them make a small appearance, since their Christmas album is so awesome, and "Christmas Time" is one of the songs they wrote themselves.


	4. Be Thou Like A Cat

Author's Notes:

My take on Kurtty is that it is one of those pairings which I "tentatively accept," not because I don't like Kitty (she's "like, totally awesome"), but because I'm an insanely jealous psycho. Kitty is just the only one I've found who he fits with enough to write a romantic story about (my second choice would actually be Toad--does that scare you?).

There is a teensy-weensy spoiler for the book of short stories _Different Seasons_ by Stephen King, just so you're warned... 

You'll see a few episode references here and there. They're pretty subtle, so see if you can spot them.

The little numbers you see throughout the story are tidbits (somewhat behind-the-scenes-ish) that will inform you of this and that about the story. You can ignore them if you'd like, but if not, they are found at the bottom with the corresponding number. They'll start out somewhat numerous and then die down, and hopefully will not annoy anyone.

On with the story!

**Chapter Four**

"_Different Seasons_? What is it?" Kitty frowned at the book in her hands.

"It's by Stephen King [10]," Kurt answered, a bit nervously, "but it is not horror. There are four short stories, and one of them is the one _Stand By Me_ is based on. You know, zhe movie we watched last week?" Kurt swallowed with relief as Kitty's eyes brightened a bit, and the corners of her lips turned up in delight.

"Of course I know, I love that movie! Thanks, Kurt, this is really awesome."

Kurt didn't reply, just grinned to himself. He had spent some time pondering on a Christmas gift for Kitty, and her love for reading had sparked his idea. He hadn't wanted to push something personal on her...not yet.

"All right, your turn, Fuzzy," Kitty slipped Kurt a tidily wrapped present about the size of a shoebox through the mess of torn and tattered wrappings already littering the floor. He eagerly ripped the outer covering off and pulled the top off of what turned out to actually be a shoebox, and his mouth opened in surprise. Kurt took the gift into his hands while Kitty looked on, feeling semi-anxious. 

What Kurt held in his hands was a photo frame she had crafted herself. It was roughly eight inches high and four inches wide, and gleamed a deep, enchanting red. Around the edge, in glittery gold letters, "Friends Make Christmas Magic," was written. Inside of the frame was a picture taken of the two of them sometime that autumn, when they had been outside helping the group rake the yard. Kurt had an arm slung around Kitty, and they were both all smiles after a leaf-throwing fight. There were leaves clinging to their clothes and strewn all through their hair, but both Kurt and Kitty grinned like Cheshire cats at the camera. 

Kurt put his odd, furry hand to his mouth, somewhat embarrassed to realize that his eyes were tearing up. He blinked a bit, and then laughed at himself, giving Kitty a very un-Kurt-like hard, serious look. She returned it, emotion dancing in her eyes. He reached out and squeezed her hand, "Thank you, Kitty. It is wonderful."

"You like it?" It was a silly question, but Kurt knew Kitty just needed to be reassured.

"Ja, I love it."

"I'm glad. You can change out the picture if you want to," she added quickly.

Kurt raised an eyebrow at her, "Are you crazy? I wouldn't do that. It's a great picture."

Kitty looked to her lap, and around the room, blushing with pleasure. Christmas morning had dawned brightly-sun sparkled off of the snow in mad glitters. The students and their instructors had been gathered around the tree for only fifteen minutes, and the gift-opening was nearly finished. She and Kurt had settled in a private corner to exchange their presents, and now she noticed that the group had drifted apart a bit. Scott and Jean had found their own secluded nook, and were both as red as she. Logan was sprawled out on the stairs, Ororo by his side, looking amused at whatever he had to say. Rogue was wandering around picking up bits and pieces of tattered Christmas leftovers, chatting amiably to the professor, who watched the group with his knowing smile. 

They made quite a group, and Evan's absence tugged at Kitty, who was used to having the entire, happy pseudo-family around. Kitty herself was only spending the holidays at the mansion by way of luck-her parents had won a two-person cruise in the Bahamas scheduled for just before Christmas until just after New Years. They had apologized profusely and had offered to pass it up, but Kitty had shrugged it off. A Christmas at the mansion with her friends would be every bit as warm and loving as one with her family was. It wasn't that she wouldn't (or didn't) miss them, but they had invited her to spend a few days at home shortly after New Years before school was back in session, and she was all right with the whole arrangement. 

"All right, enough of this nonsense," Logan stood up, "It's time for breakfast. I'm cookin'."

"Excellent idea, Logan." The professor wheeled himself towards the kitchen. 

Rogue followed,. "What're we havin'?" 

Kurt and Kitty stole a look at each other. "Sausages," they spoke up in unison, and giggled together while Logan hid his smile.

"Go get dressed, ya runts, and be back down in ten minutes."

Kitty gathered up her gifts, including the already much-loved book, and scampered up the stairs with a light heart and Kurt at her heels.

BAMF! Kurt poked his head around the entrance he had teleported to and sighted Kitty just where she had been for the last four hours-on the couch in the rec room, curled up with his book. He was pleased that she was enjoying it, but he missed her company, and Christmas day was quickly waning away. He had been deliberating stopping in for a quick hello, but somehow hadn't mustered himself up to bother her yet. Kitty was feisty about her privacy sometimes, and he didn't want to irritate her on this beautiful day.

However, he wasn't always one to conform to his good senses, and knew by now that he may as well not even bother arguing with himself-he'd end up going in there whether it was the right thing to do or not. He was a follower of the heart. He closed his eyes tightly, heart pounding, and BAMF!

"Ahhhh!" Kitty's scream pierced the air as Kurt appeared next to her on the couch, and_ Different Seasons_ went flying-right at Kurt's head.

"Whoa!" Kurt BAMFed again, this time to an upside down position from the hanging light. The book flopped harmlessly onto floor.

Kitty, hands in a defensive position, finally slowed her breathing and glanced up, where Kurt looked shamefaced at her. Her face went red, and she fell naturally into a heated tone, "Kurt! Do you mind? You shouldn't sneak up on people!"

Kurt grimaced, and made an agile leap to the floor. He scooped up Kitty's book and handed it to her, his head down. She took it silently, frowning. "I'm sorry, Kitty." He backed away towards the door, hands up in an apologetic gesture.

"Kurt, wait, don't leave," Kurt stopped, narrowing a wary eye at his nettled friend. Kitty sighed heavily, "I'm sorry I snapped at you. You really spooked me, though." She patted the couch, "Here. Come sit down."

Kurt smiled, and joined her on the couch. They both settled down in cross-legged positions facing each other, and Kitty ruffled through the pages of her book. "Look, you furball, you made me lose my place." She didn't seem too annoyed, however.

"Is the book a horror novel after all?"

"Huh? Oh, no, not really... But it has some pretty creepy parts in it. You just picked the wrong time to 'port in here."

"Ah, I see. Do you mind if I sit here while you read? I promise to be quiet."

Kitty half-smirked at him, while agreeing, "Oh, all right." She flipped idly through the book, and succeeded in finding the page she was on. Her eyes scanned the page rapidly, and Kurt watched her intently, fascinated by what an avid reader she was. The expression on her face was so serious...she looked so eager as she turned the page to continue on with the fantasy she was absorbed in. She rose her eyebrows at one line, and at one point, stuck her tongue out the corner of her mouth as though trying to concentrate. Kurt didn't think Kitty was even aware she was doing these things. 

Kurt's tail swished soundlessly around him as he observed, and finally settled down in front of him-quite near the top of Kitty's book, which rested on the sofa. He took in in a silent breath when she absently reached out and began stroking the base of the spade tip lightly. It was so faint he could hardly feel it-especially through the fur-and yet it was still a fluttery, enjoyable sensation. Kitty continued to fondle and Kurt continued to take in the sight-and feel-of her. She had once asked him if his tail was overly sensitive to touch, and he had told her no, which wasn't the entire truth of it. His tail was really just something like an extra limb, and most of it-the base, the length, the tip of the spade-were as responsive to touch as, say, his arm would be. However, directly below the spade's tip, yet somewhere close to its base, there was a certain area-a small one-that seemed ultra-tender to him, though no one but himself had ever explored it.

Kitty's probings were very close to this spot.

Kurt wasn't sure what he should do. He didn't want to pull away-for more reasons than one-but he could feel his entire body slowly heating up. Though he couldn't see them, the tips of his ears had gone a dark shade of purple. Kitty read on, seemingly oblivious to her affect on him. He squirmed a little as her fingers danced just centimeters closer...and then hit right there-right on it-bringing forth a bare hiss from his lips.

Stephen King must have indeed been an enthralling writer-Kitty didn't lift her eyes, just continued to draw lazy circles through his fur. Kurt's eyes rolled up to the ceiling, and he gritted his teeth, feeling sweat dampen the fuzz on his brow-

Kitty gasped suddenly-presumably as some "creepy" section jumped out at her-and squeezed the entire base of the spade of Kurt's tail in a tight, warm fist. Kurt could hold out no longer, and pulled away with an, "Ahhhh!" not unlike (and yet so different) than Kitty's earlier cry. Kitty shrieked back and shoved herself away from him, and they found themselves staring at each other from separate ends of the couch.

Kitty mentally pulled herself out of the story (and physically let it drop to the floor), and it didn't take her long to realize what she'd done, "Oh, Kurt, I'm sorry! Did I hurt your tail?"

"Ahh...I'm okay, Kitty," was all he could manage.

"Oh, poor elf! I really am sorry, but this guy just stuck a cat in the oven!"

"Wha-?" Kurt was too frazzled to process that disturbing picture, "Ah, don't worry, Kitty...it's okay..." He was shocked to realize that warmth was racing all up and down his body still, and that he was probably still blushing furiously.

As though reading his thoughts, Kitty took a moment to study the teleporter more closely, "Are you sure? You look really flushed-" She cut off, and her mouth formed a humorous "o" as she put the pieces together. Her voice dropped to an awkward, embarrassed whisper, "I'm so sorry..."

Kurt swallowed, and attempted to chuckle, "As I said, zhe fuzzy man is fine, but, ah, I think I'll just, ah-" Kitty knew her Nightcrawler well enough to know when he was on the verge of 'porting out on her, and quickly crawled forward to take his wrist.

"No, Kurt, don't leave just because I wasn't, like, paying attention and did something stupid. I'm really enjoying your company."

"Heh. What's to enjoy? I'm just sitting here." He rubbed his upper arm with his free hand, and Kitty let go of him, rocking back onto her heels. A thoughtful look took hold of her face.

"I don't know..." she seemed to seriously be considering it, "Something about having you near. It's..." She trailed off, uncertain and feeling as though she had said too much.

"It's vhat?"

"It's...cozy." There, she'd said it.

"Cozy, eh?" His familiar twinkle had reappeared in his eyes, and he arched his eyebrows mock seductively. 

Kitty tittered, "Oh, stop! You know what I mean...don't you?"

His cheeky grin faltered a bit, "Ja, I do."

Kitty's face colored slightly, and she scowled at herself, "It's just better when you're around, all right?"

Kurt's expression was serious, "All right." He pointed to the forgotten book, "Are you going to keep reading, then?"

Kitty expelled the breath she was holding and leaned away from him to reach for her book. Her fingers grazed _Different Seasons_, and its pages had flopped over in such a way that the last page of the book was showing-and the envelope glued to the inside of its back cover was visible to all. Kitty knit her brows as she pulled the novel back up into her lap, examining her unexpected discovery, "What's this?" The envelope was small, white, and blank. It's flap was folded into the slot, and Kitty freed it, finding that a folded piece of paper was tucked inside. She gingerly coaxed it out and unfolded it, curiously looking it over.

Had she glanced up at Kurt, she would have seen him fidgeting and looking quite ill at ease. He had the vaguest feeling that he should make himself scarce, but his desire to see Kitty's reaction to his note in person was currently rooting him to his spot. He noticed in a far off way that his heart was thudding heavily in his chest, and the expression on his face would have most likely melted Kitty's heart.

But Kitty's attention wasn't on Kurt at all. She studied the note in her hands carefully-it was so neatly creased, and written in dark, boyish handwriting-and the words...were they meant for her? At the signature, she finally looked up, first staring straight ahead in wonder, and then swivelled her head to Kurt, as though just remembering that he was still in the room with her. "Kurt...?"

Kurt could think of nothing to say except, "You were supposed to finish the book first."

"So...it is from you?"

"Ja. Ah...Kitty...I..." And with not another word, he BAMFed from her sight. She stared at the empty space, the letter in here hand floating to the floor. It read:

Kitty, 

"Be thou like a cat.

For a cat, it is enough to lie upon a lap,

accepting the caresses,

but just so much as pleaseth it!

For thus all cats are content." [11]

I love you so very much, mein Katzchen.

Kurt

Scott stirred his drink lazily, watching as the evening's light snow piled down finally began to let up outside the foyer window. He sipped the cocoa, feeling exceptionally at ease, and meaning to linger on that rare sensation for as long as possible.

Which turned out to be all of three minutes.

BAMF! Scott reeled from the sudden onset of throat-clogging smoke, covering his cup and his mouth at the same time. Kurt cocked his head at the spluttering Scott sighed. "I just can't get through this day without bothering everyone, can I?"

Scott held up his free hand in a gesture Kurt took as a request to not teleport off. He crossed his arms and studied the plush floor, his head still whirling from the turn of events involving Kitty. Scott took a long gulp from his mug and finally choked out, "What's wrong, Kurt?"

Kurt scuffed at the floor with his bare two-toed foot, not sure how much to reveal. He wandered over to the stairs and sat himself down, head in hands. Scott considered his friend's expression and it began to dawn on him what may (or may not) have been occurring in Kurt's life. "Does this have something to do with Kitty?"

Kurt hung his head, not incredibly surprised that Scott had seen right through him, "Ja."

Scott joined Kurt on the staircase, and came into the insight that Kurt would probably not be willing to hand out all the details. So he asked, "What are you going to do about it?"

At this, Kurt clenched his fists and jumped agilely to his feet, "I don't know! I knew I was taking a dumb chance, but I did it anyway! Vhat was I thinking? Vhat am I going to do now?"

This gave Scott more than enough information to fill in the blanks. He put a hand to his chin in his typical thoughtful pose. "I think you already know what you've got to do. You're just waiting for the courage to do it. You're a great guy, Kurt. There's no reason why you shouldn't go for it."

Kurt looked down at him with him the most pitiful expression Scott had ever seen, and he rolled his shade-covered eyes to the ceiling. "Look, I'll go with you and hang around outside for moral support. Okay?"

"All right..." Kurt leaned over, put a hand on Scott's shoulder, and the two BAMFed off to what Kurt was beginning to feel would be a very awkward moment.

Kitty hadn't moved from her rigid spot on the couch, but she jumped almost a foot when Jean popped her head in the room and asked, "Scott made cocoa. Would you like some?"

"No."

"Are you all right?"

"Yes...no...I don't know."

"Hmm... Is this about Kurt?"

Kitty shrugged, still mentally careening from the scene which had taken place not ten minutes ago. Different Seasons lay open in front of her, the essential note lying docilely atop its pages. Jean's instant reading of her neither bothered nor shocked her. She simply could not force herself to a reaction to a situation which clearly called for one.

Jean raised an eyebrow and meandered over to the sofa, teasingly waving a hand in front of her vacant-eyed friend's face. Kitty's expression was quite anxious, but also tinged with in air of frozen appal. "Kitty, what happened?"

Kitty sort of gasped, and her absent emotions flooded into her with all the force of a tsunami. "He loves me..." 

"Huh?" Jean looked down at the book, and reached for the letter without permission. Kitty was in no state to approve or disapprove; she looked as though she was going to faint. Jean gave a cursory glance to the message and looked back up to her friend. "Whoa. So where is he?"

"He's gone." Kitty's tone had gone back to flat.

Jean let Kurt's admission float back to Kitty's book and firmly took Kitty's shoulders. She shook hard. "Kitty, snap out of it!"

Kitty gritted her teeth, "Okay, okay. I just...didn't know he felt so strongly..."

Jean gave her a sideways look, "Just as strongly as you do."

Kitty didn't bother to deny it-to anyone else or to herself. She stood up. "Can you find him for me?"

Jean nodded, and put both hands to the sides of her head. After a moment, she turned back to Kitty, "He's in the hallway."

"Will you go with me?"

"Yes, but just to walk you out."

Kitty didn't speak further, just clasped Jean's wrist and phased them both out into the hallway, where Scott had his hands on Kurt's back, apparently trying to shove him closer to the rec room door. They both laid their eyes upon the two girls at the same time, and Kurt took a step back, bumping Scott into the hallway table. Scott pushed out passed the teleporter and greeted his red-haired girl, "Hey, Jean."

"Hey, Scott."

Scott reached out and put his rare hand-around-the-waist maneuver on Jean, his other hand still nursing the almost-empty cocoa mug, "I'm up for some more cocoa. How about you?"

"Definitely." Jean patted Kitty's shoulder and she and Scott made a hasty exit, leaving a panicked Kurt and a stunned Kitty behind them.. 

Kurt bit his lip and looked away, unable to find the words to say to Kitty to put this all behind them. Fortunately for him, she spoke first.

"Kurt... Thank you for the poem. Did you write it?"

Kurt was startled, but answered honestly, "No. I found it in one of the professor's books, and I thought of you." 

Kitty nodded, "I may have thought I was content, Kurt, but now..."

"What do you mean, Kitty?"

Kitty knew only one way to do this. She stepped forward and grasped his upper arm gently, and phased them into the recreation room for more privacy. It was still decorated for the Christmas Ball, and the many multi-colored lights shone brightly in the dimming room. Outside, Christmas Day was coming to a close.

Kurt watched the luminance dance around in Kitty's eyes, and waited. It seemed to be her move, now. She tilted her head a bit, moving closer to him, her arms finding their way around his neck. He felt a sense of dizziness seize his head, and a gentle warmth filled them both as she met his lips in a soft, moment-defining kiss. He closed his eyes in bliss, wrapping his arms around her waist. Kitty could feel Kurt's extremely delicate fur brush the skin atop her lips, and a small shiver passed through her as she pulled away.

Kurt smiled down at her, and she could see now that his eyes were filled with love. Joyful tears stung her eyes, but did not escape. One thought echoed through Kitty's mind as she studied his pale eyes in the darkness. This is something new, indeed. She couldn't keep a grin from stealing over her features and slipped her arms around him once more. "Merry Christmas, Kurt," seemed the most right thing to say then. Except maybe, "I love you."

His mouth slipped open a bit at that, and the tips of his ears flushed darkly. "Merry Christmas, Kitty." He pulled her close, and with when she tipped her head down against his chest, she could hear his heartbeat. He was near tears himself as he gave to her with sincerity the words he had waited so long to say aloud, "I love you, too."

Outside, the snow stopped falling, the clouds cleared, and the stars came out to shine down on the two new lovers, who leaned in for one more kiss. 

[10]As you know, I'm an avid Stephen King reader, and that was a very entertaining book. 

[11]From Liturgy of Love, except that I tweaked it a bit to suit my own purposes.

The End

Reviews are appreciated!


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